Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Attachment Theory: From My Perspective

Attachment
theory first began with the work of John Bowlby. Attachment is defined as “A
deep and enduring bond that connects one person to another across time and
space” (McLeod, 2009). Shaffer and
Emerson observed 60 babies in a longitudinal study visiting the babies monthly.
Through the course of their visits they observed the interactions between the
baby and the caregiver. This study showed that separation anxiety occurred when
the caregiver left the child alone. Just as Dr. Corsini said in class the study
showed that attachments formed between the baby and the person who most
consistently responded to the child not necessarily the one who spent more time
with the child. Harlow’s experiment proved that children long for personal
contact and affection from their caregivers.
In the experiment the monkeys formed their attachments during the first
year of their lives just as our children do.

As Christian counselors it is of the
utmost importance to know the backstory of our clients. There are children who
have not made any attachments and have had to take care of themselves. Their development has been affected my their lack of consistent care. Therefore we must tread carefully when dealing with our clients. Many have learned to disassociate themselves from reality in order to cope with their current circumstances. We must
learn how to properly counsel these children and adults and must be careful not to cause more damage. Child Counselors must be
observant to the way the child interacts with their primary caregivers. It is
also important to learn to work with adults who were not given the proper care
they needed as infants. Many people come from dysfunctional homes where the
last thing they received was love; therefore they were not able to develop
secure attachment, which in turn does not let them develop healthy
relationships. We must be empathetic and show our clients how to correctly form
new bonds that are healthy and strong. We must show them that they are not
alone, but we must also be wry of a dual relationship, countertransference, and
transference.

I never saw the importance of
attachment until last week, while is Dr. Corsini’s class. I was blessed with
parents who took care of my every need as an infant in my ignorance I thought
all children were raised the way I was. As I got older I quickly realized that
was not the case. Many of my friends shared their stories with me and I now
realize how important parents or even a caregiver are to children. Children
need love and security in their lives. They learn from a young age either to be
trusting or to be hostile with others. I pray that as Christian Counselors we a
can make a difference in the lives of those people who are suffering and
longing for the love of Christ.